Saint Francis and the Wolf

by Jane Langton, Ilse Plume (Illustrator)

The legendary tale of a saint and his encounter with a ferocious wolf. How the saint tamed the wolf with kindness resonants for families today in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

Saint Francis was born in 1182, the son of a wealthy merchant. After a swashbuckling youth in Assisi, he had a change of faith and decided to live the life that he ascribed to Jesus, one of poverty and abstinence. He gave away everything he owned. His father disowned him. But over the years he drew to himself a substantial following of men and women and died revered and beloved in 1225. Three years later he was canonized as Saint Francis of Assisi by Pope Gregory IX.

This lovely retelling of one of the less known of the Saint Francis lessons centers on the legend of the great wolf of Gubbio, a ferocious canine who terrorized the town and was slowly reducing it to penury and starvation. In nearby Assisi, Brother Francis heard of their plight and came to their rescue. Unbelievingly, the villagers watched from the ramparts as Brother Francis called to the wolf, tamed it with his tenderness, and made it pledge that if the people of Gubbio would care for it, he would do them no harm. He took the pledge and lived in harmony with the citizens of the city until his death.

A wonderful collaboration between a Newbery-winning author, Jane Langton, and Caldecott-winning illustrator, Ilse Plume, with a timeless lesson.

Genres: Wolves, Christian, Picture Books, Childrens, 1st Grade, Medieval

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2007

About the author

Langton was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She studied astronomy at Wellesley College and the University of Michigan, receiving a bachelor's degree in 1944. She received an M.A. in art history from the University of Michigan in 1945, and another M.A. from Radcliffe College in 1948. She studied at the Boston Museum School from 1958 to 1959.

In 1961 Langton wrote and illustrated her first book for children, The Majesty of Grace, a story about a young girl during the Depression who is certain she will some day be Queen of England. Langton has since written a children's series, The Hall Family Chronicles, and the Homer Kelly murder mystery novels. She has also written several stand-alone novels and picture books.

Langton's novel The Fledgling is a Newbery Honor book. Her novel Emily Dickinson is Dead was nominated for an Edgar Award and received a Nero Award. The Face on the Wall was an editors' choice selection by The Drood Review of Mystery for 1998.

Langton lives in Lincoln, Massachusetts, near the town of Concord, the setting of many of her novels. Her husband, Bill, died in 1997. Langton has three adult sons: Chris, David and Andy.

Series:
* Hall Family
* Homer Kelly Mystery

Reviews

[Lily Rose Maryja Broderick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very attractive, but oddly the pictures only are a fraction of the page and leave open a lot of empty white space. I'm not sure I remember which year but this one is from the Memoria Press book list and their curriculum. I definitely plan on buying it later. We read it thus time through ILL.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I hoped for: an engaging story that wasn’t either too simplistic (looking at you, “Cloud of Saints” board book) or too over my kindergartner’s head. It told a complete story along the lines of Tomie dePaolo’s “St Patrick” (although this is more anecdotal and less biographical) in a way that pretty tidily offered a way to convey to my daughter why I like this saint!

[Lisa Nagel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a nice telling of Saint Francis and his love of animals and living in harmony.

[Mitchell Seth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing font / typeface in this book!

[Set · Rating 5 out of 5]

Medieval tale and illustrations of the beloved saint that took care of that nasty ol' wolf terrorizing the town.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite ‘saint’ book. Especially appreciate that it has the Canticle of the Sun in it, as well as one of the most beloved tales about St Francis.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Memoria Press recommend Read Aloud for 1st Grade. It was a nice story, that felt a bit like a Fairy Tale that kept my 1st grader engaged.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations. Nice retelling. Not too wordy for a read aloud.

[Godine Publisher & Black Sparrow Press · Rating 5 out of 5]

"With a smooth storyteller's pacing and an eye for kid-friendly detail. . . children especially will gravitate to this story and its elements of suspense. . . [T:]he young friar's Dr. Dolittle-like communication with animals also holds much appeal. . . [Plume's:] delicate lines and sunny watercolor palette depict the flourishing flora, fauna and stone dwellings of the Italian countryside."
— Publishers Weekly

[Jeancburke · Rating 5 out of 5]

One wonders whether legends such as this are based on real-life encounters. Did the townspeople record a dangerous wolf hungry enough to... well, the book fills in all the frightening possibilities. Then Saint Francis steps in to influence the outcome. What I mostly enjoyed about this book was the illustrations. I was also charmed by the font and verse structure used for this story's telling.